A simple delivery
by Vellaunus
Summary: Ruby Rose sets off with a wicker basket and a mission, but not everything goes according to plan.


**A short story written on a spurt of inspiration.  
As one would expect, RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and the rest of his creative team.  
Enjoy.  
**

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Leaves spiraled down around the figure of a small girl skipping down a shady dirt path. Leaves crunched underneath her black boots, and she had a pleased smile on her face. A wicker basket swung at her side as she hummed softly to herself, slowing her pace occasionally to look up at the clouded sky. Bright silver eyes flicked over her surroundings, eagerly drinking everything in. Her hood was pulled up over her head, the cape flapping behind her when it was caught by the occasional gust of wind. While Ruby Rose in the forest wasn't an odd sight in itself, the fact that she was traveling at such a determined pace was intriguing. Today, she was a girl on a mission. She was off to make a delivery, and she was determined to do everything right. No stopping to smell the flowers today. Then again, considering it was winter, finding some flowers to smell would be a chore anyways. She moved at a brisk pace, shivering a little and tugging her cloak a bit tighter around her. The clouds had been threatening snow all day, but it seemed they might not make good on their promise until after dark. Ruby had been walking for the better part of the evening, and while her quick movements may have kept her warm at first, the wind was getting more persistent, nipping at her nose and cheeks. Ruby broke into a light jog, looking all around her for any signs of civilization. Her big sis had said there was an inn in the forest, but she hadn't seen anything like that yet. As she scanned the forest, the little girl noticed something odd. Hidden among the trees was what looked like a long box, raised a few feet off the ground. Ruby stopped for a moment, considering straying off the path to investigate. After some moments of deliberation, her curiosity won out. As she approached the strange box, the little girl noticed that the box had ornate carvings etched into it, the kind only royals got. Intrigued, the small girl peered inside, and gasped.

There was a girl inside, clad in a white dress knotted around the waist with a white bow. Her long white hair was tied in an off-center ponytail. Her face had dainty features and pale skin, save for a scar above her left eye. Her eyes and mouth were closed, and she appeared to be sleeping or dead. Ruby paused for a few moments, watching her for some sign of life, and when that didn't work, she extended a hand to poke the girl in the box. Before she could, the mysterious girl's eyes flew open and she snapped, "Well?"

"Whoa!" Ruby stumbled backward a few paces and fell to the ground as the girl in the box sat up and cast her eyes over her unexpected visitor. She took in the tattered red cape, scuffed black boots, and handwoven wicker basket with a huff.

"Oh. You're not a prince. Never mind." Ruby stood up and dusted herself off, confused by the remark.

"Are you expecting a prince?" Ruby asked, picking dirt out of her black and red skirt.

"Of course. I'm waiting for a prince to kiss me and take me back to their castle to marry me. That's what Papa says will happen, at least." The odd girl explained in an impatient tone of voice. Ruby tilted her head to one side in a quizzical manner.

"How long have you been waiting?" The condescending expression slipped from the girl in the white dress, and she looked a bit uncertain now.

"About a week. Papa usually comes and brings me home before dark, but he hasn't come yet, and it's getting cold." She admitted, shuddering as another gust of wind blew by the pair.

"Why don't you come with me, then? I'm taking this basket to my mom. I've got a blanket in here you can borrow, and we might find a prince along the way." The girl looked doubtful, but eventually hopped out of the box to stand next to Ruby, who rummaged around in her basket until she pulled out a thick wool blanket. She offered it to the other girl, who nodded in thanks and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"I'm Ruby, by the way." The red-hooded girl chirped, taking the other by her hand and tugging her back to the path.

"Weiss." The girl in white replied as she was dragged along. Ruby, who was pleased to have a traveling companion, was talking up a storm, while Weiss simply nodded, figuring she could put up with the chatter since Ruby was nice enough to lend her the blanket. The sky got darker and darker as they moved on, and the pair grew more disheartened as hours passed with no sign of the inn. Finally, once it was almost pitch black, Ruby spotted a light in the middle of the woods.

"There!" She crowed, stepping off the path once more to head towards the promising beacon. Once they approached, however, it was obvious that this was not the inn they were looking for. It was a small castle, with only a few brightened windows and an ornate iron gate barring their entry. "Hello?" Ruby called out into the night. "Is anyone there?" After a few minutes of waiting, Ruby put a hand on the gate and pushed. It swung open.

"Wait, Ruby! We don't know who lives here!" Weiss sputtered, taken aback by such a brazen disregard for the owner's privacy.

"We can't just stay out here all night, Weiss. It's starting to snow." That, at least, was true. Torn between the rules and a way out of the cold, Weiss chose the latter. She stumbled after Ruby as she pushed on the door. Finding it locked, the girl with the wicker basket knocked loudly.

"What are you doing here?" A quiet voice replied from the other side.

"Please let us in! We have nowhere to go and it's cold out here!" Ruby pleaded as snow fell around her and her companion.

"You don't want to come in here. No one does."

"Yes, we really do! It's snowing and we've traveled a long way, so we need somewhere to sleep. Can we please, please stay here?" The door cracked open a bit as a response. Ruby took advantage of the opportunity and pushed inside, Weiss trailing in after her. They were met by another girl, slightly taller than them, wearing a rumpled black suit. She had long black hair and dark amber eyes, and, most surprisingly, a pair of cat ears atop her head. "Thank you for letting us in!" Ruby exclaimed, tackling the stranger in a hug. The dark girl looked surprised.

"You...don't want to leave? After seeing my ears?" She asked, the ears in question flattening against her head.

"Why would I?" Ruby asked confusedly.

"The people in the town near here said I was a monster. A beast. They sent me to this castle and told me to stay here, away from everyone."

"That's wrong." Weiss muttered as Ruby let go of their host.

"Do you wanna come with us?" Ruby offered, a big smile on her face. The new girl seemed taken aback at the prospect of such a thing.

"Come...with you?" Ruby nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! We're gonna deliver this basket to my mom! I promise me and Weiss will never ever ever make fun of your ears!" The girl in the black suit nodded slowly, looking more and more enthusiastic by the moment.

"Okay...I'll go with you." After being embraced again by Ruby, the girl introduced herself as Blake and showed them to their quarters for the night. The next morning the odd group got up, ate a breakfast provided by Blake, then set off into the woods.

"Now we just have to get my big sister, Yang!" Ruby said cheerily, skipping ahead with boundless energy. The bulk of their morning was uneventful, until around noon they came upon a cozy little cottage. The littlest of their ragtag group ran up and knocked on the door. A tall blonde in a jacket that appeared to be made of bear fur answered, sweeping her younger sister up in a hug. "Yang!" Ruby exclaimed happily as the girl in question tousled her hair.

"You ready to go, Rubles?" She asked, stepping out of the house and closing the door behind her. Ruby nodded excitedly. "And who are these people?" Yang continued, gesturing to Blake and Weiss.

"These are my friends! They decided to come with me on the way." Ruby explained as Weiss and Blake shook hands with Yang.

"Right, then. Let's head out!" It began snowing again as they walked, and soon the ground was covered in a thick layer of snow. Ruby and Yang soon led them off the path and into a massive clearing, and then out of the clearing into the forest again. They finally arrived at a cliff with a gray monument on it. Weiss bent down and read the words off of it.

"Summer Rose-thus kindly I scatter." She turned around to see Ruby pull a picnic blanket out of her bag and set it down on the ground, a smile on her face. The little girl took out several cookies and a rose, laid the latter on the stone, and then motioned for the others to sit down.

"Hi mom!" Ruby began, handing Weiss, Blake, and Yang each a cookie. "I made it here safely again! I brought some friends with me this time, and Yang's here, too!" Ruby and Yang traded off talking to the headstone, pausing occasionally to take a bite from their baked goods. Meanwhile, Blake and Weiss remained silent, hesitant to interrupt the sisters and their mother. After a while, Ruby and Yang packed up their picnic, and as they turned to leave, Ruby began talking again.

"That was fun! I always like talking to mom, even though I guess I wasn't really talking to her...But I always feel closer to her after this sort of thing, you know what I mean?"

They understood.

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**I hope you enjoyed that little blurb.**

**Review, if you're so inclined to. I'm always open to constructive criticism.**


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